135 | El Maco

Producer
Zoila Rojas
Description
Sweet, stone fruit, maple syrup, milk chocolate
Process
Washed
Varietals
Colombia/Castillo
Region
Nariño
Elevation
2,000 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Born and raised in the Santa Marta region of Nariño, Colombia, Zoila still lives in the same community at the age of 67. Alongside her husband, she began growing coffee at El Maco forty-two years ago and the two of them raised their two children there. After he passed away in 2019, Zoila moved to the city of Bogotá with her daughter. After a few months, she decided to go back to the farm and continue growing coffee. Today, El Maco is planted with approximately 7,000 trees of the Colombia Varietal.

We started to work with Zoila in 2022. After cupping her coffee we loved the profile and saw immediate potential to develop a long term relationship. Zoila is very excited about working with the same partners year over year and show the improvements that she can make.

.

183 | El Mirador

Producer
Edy Martinez
Description
Chocolate, cola, grapes, molasses,
Process
Honey – Sun dried
Varietals
Castillo F4
Region
Nariño
Elevation
1,850 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Edy and her husband, Erney, have worked together with coffee for over 20 years. Despite growing up on a coffee farm, Edy points out that she learned to grow and produce coffee with her husband. She explains that, as a female, the focus was on learning household chores rather than about coffee and farming.

As they raised their three children at El Mirador, Edy and Erney were sure to teach them about all aspects of the farm. They considered it equally important to the education the children received in school. Edy is proud that El Mirador provided the income need to raise a family and hopes that her children want to continue growing and producing coffee in the future.

 

75 | La Arboleda

Producer
Alberto Montoya
Description
Sweet, honey, lemongrass, green tea
Process
Washed, sun-dried
Varietals
Chiroso
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
2,050 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Alberto grew up in the Urrao region and has many memories of working on coffee plantations. He eventually saved up enough money to purchase La Arboleda and began growing his own coffee. This proved to be a good investment as it is still home to Alberto and his wife of thirty-two years, Maria.
Aside from coffee,  Alberto is also the president of the Junta de Accion Comunal in the region.

As a leader, he is always trying to improve the livelihood of the community through development and projects such as roads and bridges. He wants all the families in his community to have access to opportunities and believes direct trade (near and far) can help everyone succeed.

02 | El Porvenir

Producer
Lucido Diaz
Description
Sweet, butter, nougat, floral
Process
Washed
Varietals
Pink bourbon
Region
Nariño
Elevation
1,750 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Lucido grew up in Putumayo, a state in the south of Colombia. He has always worked as a farmer and started growing coffee once he settled in La Union, Nariño, Colombia. He considers this a lifetime commitment and prides himself in his work.
We have been working with Lucido for 6 years now. When we started buying coffee from him in 2018, he had Castillo and Colombia varietals. In 2019, Lucido decided to completely replant his farm with 3,000 trees of the varietal Pink Bourbon. This risky undertaking left him without any coffee production for three years while the new trees grew. In 2022, we had the first harvest of his new varietal and it was worth the wait. Not only did the coffee taste great, but Lucido said that pink bourbon is holding better than the previous varietals regarding climate change and new disease that are affecting the coffee trees.

191 | Brisas del Mayo

Producer
Froilan Muñoz
Description
Velvety, berries, floral, maple syrup
Process
Washed
Varietals
Pink Bourbon
Region
Nariño
Elevation
2,100 meters
Position
Under contract
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Froilan learned about growing coffee from his father, but initially did not think it was a viable crop at Brisas del Mayo due to the high elevation. At 2,100 meters above sea level, the climate was generally considered too cold for coffee. Eventually, he decided to take a gamble and plant some trees.

While he will admit that there are extra challenges, Florian has successfully established his coffee crop at Brisas del Mayo. The property is now producing coffees of the Pink Bourbon, Gesha, and Castillo varietals. One benefit to the cooler weather is that pests and diseases that typically infest coffee plants also prefer the warmer, more humid climates. Due to the elevation, Frolian is able to grow more delicate varietals known for their cup quality with less risk of disease. The cooler weather also provides for a slower maturation of the beans, which gives the flavors more time to develop.

07 | El Naranjo

Producer
Evelio Bados
Description
Grapes, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate,
Process
Washed
Varietals
Castillo, Colombia
Region
Nariño
Elevation
1,900 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
El Naranjo began over 38 years ago as just a vision. Evelio invested in an untouched lot and worked very hard to clear the land and eventually plant coffee. He was working double duty during this time as he was also employed at other farms in order to provide for his family. After watching his dream come to fruition, Evelio hopes that his children will continue his legacy and produce coffee at El Naranjo in the future. For this reason, he continues to look for opportunities that will allow for sustainability and improved quality of life. It is important to him that his children and El Naranjo are successful for generations to come.

121 | Santa Marta Community Lot

Producer
Various
Description
Caramel, chocolate, honey, stone fruit, cherry
Process
Washed
Varietals
Castillo, F4
Region
Nariño
Elevation
1,900 to 2,100 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey

Santa Marta is a small coffee farming community located in the Nariño department in the south of Colombia. The average output of every farm per year is about 10 bags of green coffee. Our Community lot is comprised of lots from 10 small farms located between 1,900 and 2,100 meters above sea level.

After cupping these coffees for the first time last year, we saw an opportunity to work with the community. The coffees showed great complexity and sweetness as well as consistency from farm to farm. We believe that the proximity of these small farms plays a big role in their consistency and uniformity.

156 | Santa Rosa

Producer
Jose Villada
Description
Vibrant, sweet, bakers chocolate, grape fruit
Process
Washed
Varietals
Castillo, Colombia
Region
Nariño
Elevation
1850 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental Terminals
Jose and his wife, Claudia, are both proud and grateful for their beautiful farm, Santa Rosa. Located in the Santa Marta region and offering breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, the farm sits 1,800 meters above sea level.

After inheriting the land from his father, Jose and Claudia started from scratch, building a small house and planting 7,000 trees of the Colombia and Castillo varietals. Over the years, as their family grew, so did Santa Rosa. They built a bigger house and, eventually, a small wet mill.

With great attention to detail from management to processing, the Villada family is a great example of what can be accomplished with limited resources. They were able to provide for their children as they grew up while simultaneously working to improve the farm. This is our first year working with them and we are super excited with the quality and consistency of their coffee.

200 | Cedral

Producer
Various
Description
Chocolate, caramel, dry fruit
Process
Washed
Varietals
Castillo, Colombia
Region
Nariño
Elevation
1,800 to 1,900 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
We selected a group of coffees that are balanced, sweet, and smooth for this lot. Located in the Nariño region of Colombia, these farms have a similar altitude and microclimate. This allows for a consistent profile. Our goal with the Cedral blend is to appeal to customers that are looking for a sweet and balanced coffee with mild acidity. This coffee check all the boxes.

158 | Guamera

Producer
Alcides Guzman
Description
Bakers chocolate, brown sugar, honey, dry fruit
Process
Washed
Varietals
Colombia, Castillo
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
1,700 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Alcides has been working with coffee for 15 years, gradually increasing the production of La Gamera from a few trees to the 12,000 trees he currently has planted. He is careful to monitor the age of the trees and prune them every seven years. This management style allowed him to have very good yields as there are always trees producing. In adition to this meticulous tree management, Alcides believes reinvesting in the farm and its facilities is crucial to providing superior coffee. He diligently maintains his wet beneficio and drying facilities so that the cherries can be processed correctly and efficiently.
Despite La Guamera’s location in Ituango – Antioquia (an area fraught with conflict between illegal groups), Alcides and his wife are optimistic for the future. They believe their dedication to coffee will allow them to provide their daughter with more options as she grows older.